Extraintestinal Acanthocephalan Oncicola venezuelensis (Oligacanthorhynchidae) in Small Indian Mongooses (Herpestes auropunctatus) and African Green Monkeys (Chlorocebus aethiops sabaeus)

Abstract

We identified multiple extraintestinal cystacanths during routine postmortem examination of 3 small Indian mongooses and 2 African green monkeys from the Caribbean island of St. Kitts. In mongooses, cystacanths were encysted or free in the subcutaneous tissue, skeletal muscle, or peritoneal or pericardial cavities, whereas in the monkeys, they were in the cavity and parietal layer of the, tunica vaginalis, skeletal muscle, and peritoneal cavity. Morphological, histological, and molecular characterization identified these cystacanths as Oncicola venezuelensis (Acanthocephala: Oligacanthorhynchidae). There was minimal to mild lymphoplasmacytic inflammation associated with the parasite in the mongooses and moderate inflammation, mineralization, hemorrhage, and fibrosis in the connective tissue between the testis and epididymis in 1 monkey. We identified a mature male O. venezuelensis attached in the aboral jejunum of a feral cat, confirming it as the definitive host. Termites serve as intermediate hosts and lizards as paratenic hosts. This report emphasizes the role of the small Indian mongoose and African green monkey as paratenic hosts for O. venezuelensis.

Phylogeny and Life Cycles of the Archiacanthocephala with a Note on the Validity of Mediorhynchus gallinarum

“…For other species of Oncicola, other mammals like the feral cat Felis catus Linnaeus, 1758, the Indian mangoose Herpestes auropunctatus Hodgson, 1836, the foxes Vulpes vulpes Linnaeus, 1758 from Lebanon and the ocelot Leopardus pardalis Linnaeus, 1758 were reported as definitive hosts, and the Caribbean termite Nasutitermes acajutlae (Holmgren) as the intermediate host [8-10, 12, 48]. Additionally, lizards, African green monkeys and birds serve as paratenic hosts for species of Oncicola [8,9].…”

“…Definitive hosts of Archiacanthocephala have been described as strictly terrestrial [1] and include hedgehogs, marsupials, rodents, carnivores and several orders of birds [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. Archiacanthocephalans use invertebrates such as millipedes, termites and cockroaches [9][10][11][12][13] as intermediate hosts.…”

Gastrointestinal Helminths in Wild Felids in the Cerrado and Pantanal: Zoonotic Bioindicators in Important Brazilian Biomes

“…The ecological and public health significance of Oncicola infections in wild felids is substantial and serves as an indicator of overall ecosystem health and biodiversity. Although these parasites are not directly transmissible to humans, their prevalence and severity in wild felids reflects broader environmental health dynamics [ 95 ].…”

Community structure of the helminths of Lithobates spectabilis (Anura: Ranidae) from two localities in the Biosphere Reserve Barranca de Metztitlán, Hidalgo, Mexico

“…However, although invertebrates are common in frog's diets, the low parameter values indicate that the helminths are most likely sporadic in this locality. Acanthocephala of the genus Oncicola Travassos, 1916, involve amphibians and lizards as paratenic hosts (Becker et al, 2019;Nickol et al, 2006), and feline mammals as definitive hosts (Fuller & Nickol, 2011;Santos et al, 2016); although, the specific life cycles have not been thoroughly studied (Nickol et al, 2006;Palmer et al, 2020;Romero-Mayén et al, 2016;Schmidt, 1972). Lithobates spectabilis appears to be a paratenic host of the nematode and this acanthocephalan, although future studies would have to be done to confirm this hypothesis.…”